Vehicles, such as motor vehicles, typically contain foot-actuated devices or pedals for controlling various functions of the vehicle. These functions are known to include acceleration, controlled by an accelerator pedal; braking controlled by a brake pedal; and shifting controlled by a clutch pedal. These pedals are positioned in the vehicle so that they are accessible by the driver. However, drivers come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and a pedal positioned to accommodate a large driver with a large foot will generally be unreachable by a small driver with a small foot. In the past, the pedals were fixedly positioned to accommodate the majority of drivers, from a functional and ergonomic perspective. The functionality of the pedal relates to the ability of the driver to reach and actuate the pedal. Another functional factor is clearance between pedals. The ergonomics of the pedal relates to factors such as the driver's comfort while actuating the pedal, as measured by foot angle. Another example of an ergonomic factor is foot fatigue from maintaining the foot in a fixed position for a period of time.
More recently, adjustable pedals have been used in vehicles to accommodate a greater number of drivers. The driver can modify the position of the pedal relative to the floor of the vehicle. An example of such an adjustable pedal is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,986 to KSR Industrial Corporation entitled “Adjustable Vehicle Control Pedals,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. While this type of adjustable pedal works by adjusting the relative position of the pedal along a predetermined arc of travel, after the pedal position has been adjusted, the pedal pad may not be aligned ergonomically with respect to the foot of the operator. Thus, there is a need in the art for an ergonomically beneficial adjustable pedal assembly that adjusts the position of both the pedal and pedal pad.